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GEOGRAPHY
The county of Knox, FIPSCODE 48275, is the 190th largest of the 254
counties in Texas; with an estimated population of 4,920 in 1991. The
county seat of Knox is Benjamin and the next most significant city is
Munday. Knox county is a Rural county which lies within the West
Central Texas JTPA service delivery area and the West Central Texas
Quality Workforce Planning region, administered by the Big Country Qwfp
Cooperative. Even though congressional districts and counties have
boundaries which overlap, Knox county falls within the 78th Texas
congressional district(s) and the 30th Texas senatorial district(s).
The county consists of 851 square miles with a 1990 population density
8.60 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 65.6
persons per square mile. Rainfall in the county averages 24.30 inches
per year compared to the Texas average of 21.0 inches per year. The
average growing season in Knox county is 217 days with the average
first freeze generally occurring around Nov 6. Texas is so climatically
diverse that statewide averages are irrelevant as a means of
comparison.
POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLDS According to the
1980 Census, Knox county had a population of 5,329. Forecasts from
DRI/McGraw-Hill estimate the 1993 population to be 5,075 and the 1998
population projected at 4,881. This would represent a change of -194
between 1993 and 1998 or a change of -3.82 percent over the period. The
median age of the 1989 population was 42 years old versus a statewide
average of 30.9 years and a national average 35.9 years. The county
race/ethnic distribution in 1990 is estimated by the Census Bureau to
be roughly: Knox County Texas Statewide White 70.21% 60.59% Black 6.93%
11.63% Hispanic 22.49% 25.55% Other 0.37% 2.23% The age distribution of
an area can provide valuable insight into the county economic
composition. By national standards, Texas has a relatively young
population. The 1990 Census estimates for Texas show a population
composition as follows: Knox County Texas Statewide Age 0-4 7.42% 8.13%
Age 5-15 17.01% 17.36% Age 16-24 9.03% 13.81% Age 25-44 24.97% 33.36%
Age 45-64 19.56% 17.28% Age 65 plus 22.00% 10.06% Other age cohorts may
be of special interest for JTPA summer youth programs and older worker
programs. Knox county has 430 persons age 14-21 representing 8.89
percent of the population. This compares with 12.21 percent statewide.
For the potential older worker age cohort, 1,573 persons or 32.52
percent are 55 or over in Knox county based on the 1990 census. This
compares to 17.62 percent statewide. If the population cohort 45 and
over is higher than the state average, this suggests a stable, mature
population comprised of mainly "empty-nesters," retirees and the aged.
When the 25-44 age cohort is higher than the state average, this is a
healthy economic situation since this group contains the greatest share
of the productive labor force. Decreases over time in this group,
especially when similar changes are not occurring statewide, can be an
indication that people are moving out of an area they consider to be a
poor labor market. HOUSEHOLDS The county had about 3,591 households in
1990 according to the DRI/McGraw Hill economic forecasting
organization. This represents an average of 2.03 persons per household.
This figure is lower than the 1993 DRI estimate of 2.56 persons per
household. Statewide, DRI estimates 2.74 persons per household in 1993
with a total of roughly 6.56 million Texas households. The 1990
Census counted the mobility of households during the
1985 to 1990 period. Based on these figures, 81.50 percent of Knox
county
than the state average generally indicates more in-migration and
probably an expanding job base. Since the 1990 census asks questions
of persons living in the county, those persons leaving the area for
whatever reason are not counted in that county!
The average commuting time to work for the employed labor force in the
county is roughly 12.70 minutes based on 1990 Census estimates. The
Texas average is 17.9 minutes, however for metro counties the time is
21.2 minutes and for rural counties the figure is 17.0.
INCOME
The Department of Human Services (DHS) estimated a poverty population
for Knox county of 1,820 persons in 1988 which represented 34.30
percent of the non-institutional population. The 1990 DHS poverty rate
was 29.11 percent. The 1990 Census shows a total of 1,216 persons
below the poverty line, defined as $6,451 for single persons by the
Census bureau in 1989. Roughly 3,406,739 Texans for 20.05 percent of
the total population fell beneath the poverty line income in 1989.
Although comparable county data are unavailable, the Texas poverty
population is estimated at 3,559,000 persons in 1993 for a poverty rate
of 20.00 percent. This exceeds the U.S. poverty rate of 14.20
percent for 1993.
Knox county incurred over $605,721 in combined food stamp and AFDC
payments in FY1991 with $473,325 going to food stamp recipients. There
were 190 AFDC recipients in FY1991 in Knox county with the average
annual payment per recipient at $696.82. The Texas average was $703.84
per recipient.
The county had $97,500 in Unemployment Insurance benefits paid during
calendar 1991. The average duration of unemployment for TEC Regular UI
claimants statewide in calendar 1992 was 16.2 weeks. This figure has
risen steadily from 14.59 weeks in 1990 and 15.17 weeks in 1991. In
Knox county, the average duration before exhausting regular UI benefits
in calendar 1992 was 17.30 weeks. The most likely
interpretation of longer duration times is greater difficulty finding a
job. Therefore, duration can serve as a good barometer for local
general economic conditions. The average weekly benefits payment for
Regular UI in CY1992 was $169.63 in statewide Texas, up from $163.97
in CY1991. Comparable county data is disclosed.
Income can be viewed in several ways and under different definitions.
The per capita personal income level for Knox county was $12,328 in
1988 with a statewide average of $14,590. By 1990, Knox county per
capita income had increased to $15,091. Per capita income tends to
have a direct relationship with the growth of retail sales and most
service sector industries in an area. Retail sales for the county were
$17,358,000 in 1988 and are projected to decrease to $14,748,000 in
1995.
The median household income for families, based on the 1990 Census was
$17,370 for Knox county. This compares to $27,016 statewide. This
figure is much higher than the per capita income level because it
includes all wage earners within a single household.
Total personal income is a widely used measure of regional economic
health while per capita income is generally used to compare the
relative well-being of residents across areas (not accounting for
differences in area cost of living). According to DRI, total personal
income from all sources in the county was $73,000,000 in 1990 and
projected to be $140,000,000 by 1995.
One last way to measure income is in terms of purchasing power. Sales
& Marketing Management magazine(SMM) generates a buying power index
(BPI) which incorporates disposable after-tax income as a measure of a
household's ability to purchase retail services. The 1990 BPI for Knox
county was $23,146 with a 1995 projected level of $27,249. The
statewide figures are $34,899 and $46,225 for the same 1990 and 1995
time periods. Because SMM makes different assumptions for household
size and uses an "average" rather than a median level of household
earnings, some counties may have a BPI higher than the median household
income.
Some counties function as major employment centers and others serve as
"bedroom communities". This means that residents may work in one
county but live, pay taxes and spend most of their income in their
resident county. The degree to which a county serves as a bedroom
community can be measured by a "residence adjustment" to the county
personal income. The residence adjustment in Knox county was
$2,744,000 in 1988. By 1990 however, the adjustment had decreased
to $1,889,000. A negative number implies that workers commute
into the
county to earn income but do not reside there. Growth over time of
negative residence adjustments generally implies an eroding tax base
for the county. Similarly, a positive figure implies that on balance
the county exports jobs and income to surrounding county residents.
The average weekly wage for all covered employment in Knox county in
the first quarter of 1992 was $294.14. This compares to the statewide
average of $445.65.
The county had 2 commercial banks in 1991, as reported by the Federal
Reserve Bank in Dallas, with total deposits of $50,715,000 and assets
of $56,843,000. This represents an increase between calendar year 1988
and 1991. The 1991 deposit to population ratio was $10,307.93 for Knox
county compared to the Texas average of $8,389. A ratio less than the
state average generally indicates the presence of an adjacent county
serving as a regional financial center.
The county civilian labor force was 2,538 in March 1992 reflecting an
increase from the March 1990 level of 2,125. According to the Texas
Employment Commission (TEC), total unemployment in March 1992 was 143
contrasted to the March 1990 total of 62. The Knox county unemployment
rate for March 1990 was 2.90 percent. Compared to the March 1992 rate
of 5.70 percent, the March 1993 rate of 4.70 percent was lower than
the previous year. The statewide unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in
March 1992 and 6.7 percent in March 1993.
As with population estimates, measures of employed persons vary
depending on the data source and definition of employment. DRI annual
average estimates of wage and salary employment for 1993 estimate Knox
county to have 1,157 employed persons with projections of 1,198 in
1995 and 1,179 in 1998. The reader should keep in mind that employment
projections at the county level are potentially volatile because
changes such as a plant relocation could significantly alter the growth
trend.
The TEC indicates 177 business reporting units in the first quarter of
1992 with an average of 8.10 workers per unit. Average firm size
makes a difference for job hunting and job development strategy because
larger firms tend to have better defined ports of entry and
in-house training capabilities. Although definitions vary, small
business can be defined as less than 50 workers and medium sized is
250 or less. The Texas average is 19.5 workers per unit.
Total agricultural employment is not measured by these data. A new
survey-based estimate conducted by the Texas Agricultural Statistics
Service in cooperation with the Texas Department of Commerce reveals
260 total farm and ranch employment for Knox county in January 1993
with 160 of those being self-employed farmers/ranchers. The totals
include self-employed, unpaid family workers and hired workers and are
not seasonally adjusted. The January 1993 figures are contrasted by the
January 1991 levels of 260 total employment with 180 of those
being self-employed proprietors.
The non-agricultural industry employment distribution for Knox county
by major industry sector for 1993 is as follows:
Comparable figures for Texas for 1993 are estimated for Mining(2.3%),
Construction (5.0%), Manufacturing (13.1%), Transportation (5.9%),
Wholesale and Retail trade (24.0%), Services (25.6%), Finance,
Insurance, Real Estate (6.0%), and Government (18.1%).
Relative to the Texas economy, the SOICC economic diversification index
measures the degree to which a county economy is diversified.
Significant concentrations of employment in only one or two sectors
makes an area less diversified and more susceptible to widespread
economic decline should a key sector suffer a significant loss. The
Knox county economy is classified as Poorly Diversified within a range
from poorly diversified to very diversified.
The 1990 Census allows a look at the occupational distribution of
employment in Knox county as well. The following categories will
likely not add up to 100 percent due to rounding error. The
occupational titles are defined by the Census classification system.
EACH OCCUPATION IS FOLLOWED BY TEXAS STATEWIDE PERCENTAGES IN
PARENTHESES.
EDUCATION PROFILE
It is very difficult to get an accurate assessment of education quality
and problems at the county level. It can be argued that
measures of academic achievement such as SAT or ACT test scores are not
comparable due to differences in curricula, economic and
demographic characteristics of students and other issues.
Educational attainment numbers do not reflect course matter or quality
of education but rather cumulative exposure to the education system.
The percent of persons 25 and over in Knox county who have completed at
least a high school degree was 45.70 percent in 1980. This figure
has increased to 58.61 percent in 1990. Statewide, Texas experienced a
significant increase from 62.6 percent completing at least a high
school education in 1980, to 72.1 percent in 1990.
In addition, Knox county had 10.91 percent of its residents age 25 and
over with a college degree (Bachelors) or more in 1990. This compares
to 20.3 percent statewide for 1990 and 16.9 percent in 1980.
School districts in Knox county showed 1,030 Average Daily Attendence
(ADA) in the 1990 school year which represents a decrease from ADA
totals in the 1986 school year of 1,049. Estimates of public school
dropouts for the 1990-91 school year were 7. This compares to 8 in the
1988-89 year. Longitudinal dropout rates for the entire 7-12 period are
not available, but the annual dropout rate for Knox county was
1.55 for 1990-91. Longitudinal rates are between 5 and 6 times the
annual rate with greater numbers of dropouts occurring after the 9th
grade.
Additional information on education quality is available by school
district from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) through the newly
developed Academic Excellence Indicators System (AEIS).
OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST
1. The county had a November 1988 voter turnout of 1,778 of which 43
percent voted Republican for President.
In the 1992 presidential election there were 2,669 registered voters.
Voter turnout was 68.00 percent of which 521 persons voted for Mr.
Bush for 28.71 percent. Mr. Clinton received 47.05 percent of the Knox
county vote while Mr. Perot received 24.13 percent.
For the November 1990 elections featuring the race for Governor, there
were 2,708 total registered voters in the county, of which 1,427 or
52.70 percent actually cast ballots. Of those voting, 876 voted
Democratic or 61.40 percent of the total Knox county return.
Statewide, Ann Richards garnered 1,925,670 total votes or 49.47 percent
of the total.
2. There were 2 licensed physicians in the county in 1989 with a
population to physician ratio of 2,848 residents per physician. The
Texas average was 583 residents per physician. In 1991, there were 2
doctors in the county with a population to physician ratio of 2,460.
The statewide average in 1991 was 565 with 30,796 practicing physicians.
3. Crime occurs in every county but not all occurrences are reported.
According to the Uniform Crime Reports, there were 11 total major
reported crimes in the county in 1989 with an average of 190.05 major
crimes per 100,000 population in 1989. The statewide average of major
crimes per 100,000 population was 7,983 in 1989. In 1991, there were 34
major crimes committed in the county which equates to 691.06 per
100,000 population representing an increase of 209.09 percent between
1989 and 1991. The Texas average per 100,000 population in 1991 was
7,791. Based on these data, major crime in Knox county was 8.87 percent
of the Texas average. A major crime includes murder, rape,
assault, burglary, robbery, theft, and motor vehicle theft.